James Dobson

==Early life and education==
James Dobson was born to Myrtle Georgia (née Dillingham) and James C. Dobson Sr. on April 21, 1936, in [[Shreveport, Louisiana]].<ref name="LATimes">{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-02-ls-63874-story.html |title=A Man of Millions : Broadcaster James Dobson Has Become a Leading Name in Evangelical Circles--and the Politicians Have Noticed |last=Stammer |first=Larry B. |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 2, 1995 |access-date=June 24, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanbenitohistory.com/projects/Famous_San_Benitians_8th/Dobson.html |title=James C Dobson |website=San Benito History |access-date=June 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320040954/http://www.sanbenitohistory.com/projects/Famous_San_Benitians_8th/Dobson.html |archive-date=March 20, 2013}}</ref> From his earliest childhood, religion played a central part in his life. He once told a reporter that he learned to pray before he learned to talk, and says he gave his life to [[Jesus]] at the age of three, in response to an altar call by his father.<ref name=sotc>{{cite book |last=Apostolidis |first=Paul |title=Stations of the Cross Adorno and Christian Right Radio |date=May 2000 |publisher=Duke University Press |isbn=0-8223-2541-1 |page=22}}</ref> He is the son, grandson, and great-grandson of [[Church of the Nazarene]] ministers.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Gerson |title=A Righteous Indignation |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |date=1998-05-04}} reprinted at [http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/dobson.htm SkepticTank.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609085028/http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/dobson.htm |date=2007-06-09}}</ref>

Dobson's mother was intolerant of "sassiness" and would strike her child with whatever object came to hand, including a shoe or belt; she once gave Dobson a "massive blow" with a [[Girdle (undergarment)|girdle]] outfitted with straps and buckles.<ref name="Bartkowski1995">{{cite journal |title=Spare the Rod..., or Spare the Child? Divergent Perspectives on Conservative Protestant Child Discipline |first=John P. |last=Bartkowski |journal=Review of Religious Research |date=December 1995 |volume=37 |number=2 |pages=97–116 |doi=10.2307/3512395 |jstor=3512395 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3512395}}</ref>{{sfn|Ridgely|2016|p=26}}

The parents took their young son along to watch his father preach. Like most Nazarenes, they forbade dancing and going to movies. Young "Jimmie Lee" (as he was called) concentrated on his studies.<ref name=ebff>{{cite news |first=Laura |last=Stepp |title=The Empire Built on Family and Faith: Psychologist James C. Dobson, Bringing His Evangelical Focus to Politics |newspaper=Washington Post |date=1990-08-08 |pages=C1–3 |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/140162655.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+8%2C+1990&author=Laura+Sessions+Stepp+Washington+Post+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Washington+Post+%281974-Current+file%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=The+Empire+Built+on+Family+%26+Faith |access-date=2017-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103065825/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/140162655.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Aug+8%2C+1990&author=Laura+Sessions+Stepp+Washington+Post+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Washington+Post+%281974-Current+file%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=The+Empire+Built+on+Family+%26+Faith |archive-date=2017-01-03 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Dobson studied academic psychology and came to believe that he was being called to become a Christian counselor or perhaps a Christian psychologist.<ref name=sotc /> He attended Pasadena College (now [[Point Loma Nazarene University]]) as an undergraduate and served as captain of the school's tennis team.<ref>{{cite web |title=Love to Serve News |url=http://www.tennisministry.org/LTS/lts-091500.html |publisher=TennisMinistry.org |year=2000 |access-date=December 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728085049/http://www.tennisministry.org/LTS/lts-091500.html |archive-date=July 28, 2011}}
</ref><ref name="ISAE">{{cite web |title=Jim Dobson |url=http://isae.wheaton.edu/hall-of-biography/jim-dobson/ |publisher=Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, Wheaton College |access-date=December 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110315204130/http://isae.wheaton.edu/hall-of-biography/jim-dobson/ |archive-date=March 15, 2011}}</ref> In 1967, Dobson received his doctorate in psychology from the [[University of Southern California]].<ref name="Hankins"/>